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bookishgoob's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Car accident
sherlene_06's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Alcohol
harmonygracie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder
just_a_bibliophile's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I really liked the characters in this, with the relationships between all of the characters being particularly nice to read about. While I thought some of the characters could have done with a little more fleshing out, I thought Malcolm's character was probably the most developed of them all, and was definitely interesting to read about. I did think that there was a lot of name dropping at the start, and I know I got seriously confused trying to remember who everyone was and how they linked to the story for the first 25% of the book. Not all of these characters were even particularly relevant, I thought it could have done with a little less minor characters who contributed nothing to the actual plot, and a little more development for the main characters. There were so many characters that I really liked the sound of (Mia being a particular favourite of mine), but I just didn't feel they'd been developed enough for me to be able to properly understand them on the level I'd have liked.
It felt very cliche. From the dialogue to the plot and the characters, it felt very YA-typical. It also seemed incredibly similar to many other of the author's books and other YA murder mysteries out there (we're talking small town 'cursed' with lots of cases of disappearing or murdered teenagers, until our MC teenager who just so happens to be really into true crime comes along to solve the mystery). And I mean, that can be quite enjoyable - I've always really enjoyed the rest of McManus's books. I don't think this book is necessarily any worse than her others, it just came across as a little repetitive and honestly kind of dull to me personally - potentially because I've read so many of the author's books by now. I just feel like I've read this book before, as there simply wasn't enough to set it apart from the many, many other YA mysteries out there.
There were some aspects that I did just have to sit and go oh come on, as parts of the plot were quite frankly ridiculously unbelievable, which took away from the usual effect these plot twists have on me. In all honesty, some of the dialogue nearer to the end of the story just made me cringe, it felt so young adult stereotyped and even slightly childish in parts.
Saying this, no, I didn't see what was coming or who was behind it all, and it still had the usual shock factor that I'd expect from one of these books. Undoubtedly worth a read for any McManus fans (although I do think there are better books of hers out there) or murder mystery lovers in general, but maybe not the best for anyone who's read way too many of these sorts of books already.
Rating: 3 stars
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, and Car accident
agateg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I flew through this book. I think it's a very well-written young adult mystery novel. I found both Ellery's and Malcolm's POVs exciting and engaging. The story hooked me from the first page and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout it. I did guess the culprit but it didn't take away from the joy I felt while reading it. I definitely will be checking out more of the author's works!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying and Car accident
itsbumley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder
typedtruths's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Stalking, Car accident, and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The story is told from the prospective of two characters, which was refreshing because so many books these days include way too many points of view. I prefer books from one person's perspective, but two were okay.
I'd say that this is the okay-est book I read this year.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
bujo_bellel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, and Car accident
thenovelbookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A prom queen goes missing in 1995, then a second get killed just 5yrs ago, now threats are being made against this year's prom queen in Echo Ridge. Can Ellery and Ezra figure out what happened to their missing aunt, and will Ellery be the next victim?
Minor: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol